Bills Beat Blog

Fairley Most Likely to Meet With Bills

When speaking at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley said that he most likely has a meeting scheduled with the Buffalo Bills.

The potential top ten draft pick is in the conversation of who the Bills may be looking at come April.

Often described as a dirty player from what is captured on television, Fairley just doesn't see it.

"Everybody is entitled to their opinion and a lot of folks out there say I play the game the way that it should be played," the Auburn defensive tackle stated. "All I do is hit a light switch when I hit the field and don't turn it off until I leave."

A lingering concern of Fairley has been brought to attention on a national level, whether or not he takes plays off. He addressed those concerns on Sunday.

"I don't think I take plays off. I think I play the game as it should be played," said Fairley. "I play at a high motor. I said it before, I hit a light switch once I hit the field and I don't hit it off until I leave off the field."

One other issue surrounding Fairley is whether or not his incredibly successful junior season at Auburn was just a fluke. He said all he can do is just prove that's not the case to teams.

"Really just come out here tomorrow at the Combine and just show them not even with the drills, that I'm a great athlete," remarked Fairley. "Then with the interviews we have, show them that I'm a great person off the field too. Basically I just have to show them that one-hit wonder is not in me."

Fairley and Alabama's Marcell Dareus are often times brought up in the same sentence because of the similarities. Borderline dominant defensive tackles in the SEC, playing at rival schools in Alabama. It's even to Fairley as well.

"He's a great player, I'm a great player. There's really no comparison."

Fairley has shed some weight in preparation for the Combine, checking in at 6-foot-4 and 291 pounds. He lost weight in an effort to gain speed, going on to say his playing weight will be somewhere between 295 and 300 pounds.

A reporter from Charlotte asked Fairley how he'd feel if it were down to himself and college teammate Cam Newton for the first overall selection by the Panthers. Fairley didn't take the bait.

Fairley laughingly said, "Is that a trick question? I think that was a trick question."

Fairley and the rest of the defensive tackles do on-the-field workouts on Monday.